Mistletoe
by SaultNPeppah
Summary: My #WonderBatSecretSanta gift for Jen When the team is stuck in the middle of a fight on Christmas Eve, they do everything they can to ensure the President is safe. Can they save him? And can they do it in time for Bruce to make a shocking announcement?


**This is my WonderBat Secret Santa gift for the person responsible for every WonderBat event we have. You're awesome, Jen!**

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**December 24. Washington D.C. 17:05**

Christmas and the surrounding holidays was a time to be spent with family. Time for families to relax and enjoy the company of those they loved. For Bruce Wayne, the Christmas season had always been a difficult one. When his parents had passed when he was a boy, only Alfred was there to bring the young Wayne much comfort during this time, and although he had tried his hardest, whenever Bruce would feel festive, guilt would soon consume him.

Bruce had struggled for years with survivor's guilt, but he knew his parents would not have wanted him to isolate himself, especially during the holidays. When Dick had come into his life, Bruce had found a new purpose, giving relief and help to another who had lost their parents too young. For a moment it seemed as if he had gained some normalcy back into his life - however normal he could be while still parading as a vigilante every night. But when Dick had died unexpectedly, it had thrown Bruce back into the isolation he had fought so hard to claw out of. He had become angry at the world, and instead of resolving those feelings he buried deep within, he had focused that anger into The Batman.

Within a matter of years, The Batman had become someone to fear, willing to do what needed to be done in order to stop the threats. When one of those threats had become Superman, Bruce had nearly lost his mind and given into the one rule he had set for himself when he had started his war on crime in Gotham, enraged by the death of innocent people that had been sacrificed when the Man of Steel had surfaced on this world. That anger, however, soon became more guilt when Clark had died saving humanity from his world and the horrors of it. Bruce had, once again, been thrown into that spiral of guilt and anger, letting it consume his every thought, letting it spill into his work both at Wayne Enterprises and as The Batman. The only difference was now he had someone besides Alfred willing to pull him out of those thoughts, and she was much less inclined to allow him to say no.

For nearly a century, Diana had wallowed in her own grief. She had grieved the loss of her home, never being able to return to the island she had grown up on and loved dearly. She grieved the loss of Steve, the first man she had loved. And she had grieved the loss of her dear friends, who would age before her very eyes as she remained as youthful as the day she first arrived on Man's World. Diana had known loss, and by extent, had known grief and guilt- she was the one person who Bruce could find a true connection with, as she knew of both of his lives.

With Diana came the discover of Arthur, Barry, and Victor, and they had each brought something of their own to the mix. Soon had come Clark's rival, which had not only brought another teammate, but a friend into Bruce's life, someone he could share not only the playboy persona, but The Batman with. By extension had come Lois, the oh so determined journalist, and Mrs. Kent, Martha, the one who had connected Bruce and Clark and brought Bruce out of his fit of anger. She was the one who saved Clark that night. She was the one who had brought Bruce out of that rage.

It had taken some time, but slowly Bruce had begun to trust himself with his new teammates, his new friends. He would find himself spending more time with the group, wanting to share his life with them. They were his family. And family spent the holidays together and this was no different for the group of heroes.

"On your right."

Bruce turned just in time to see a blur of red zoom past him, the robot that had been inches in front of him seconds before, now a pile of metal on the frosted ground. "Thanks," Bruce muttered before he jumped behind a door, narrowly missing a few shots from another nearby robot, one of the many that were attacking the White House, knowing the President had opted to stay in Washington D.C. for Christmas. Someone had orchestrated this whole attack, and it was their job to stop the army of robots and find out who had gained inside knowledge and started the attack. It hadn't taken long for the team to be bombarded.

Bruce took a deep breath and reached into his utility belt, searching for another smoke pellet. The group had been fighting for nearly an hour and he was running low on supplies. His only hope was Victor would be able to stop the assault from the inside.

His fingers made contact with one of the pellets and he took another deep breath and threw the pellet to the floor, encasing the surrounding area in a thick cloud of dark smoke. The continuous fire aimed at the door Bruce had been hiding behind ceased momentarily, as the artificial army tried to find the caped crusader. They never saw the batarangs fly into their backs, before the miniature bombs went off, sending metal pieces flying about the room.

"Alfred," Bruce said, taking another deep breath. He wasn't as young as he was when he had first created The Batman, and whenever he fought alongside stronger, younger, people, he felt it. But he was never one to give up a fight.

"Yes, Master Wayne," Alfred called out.

"Do we know who's behind this?" Bruce asked. His eyes focused on Clark as he hovered above a few of the bots, letting his heat vision melt the metal that composed their bodies. He watched as Clark flashed him a smirk, before he ran off alongside Barry, punching robots who didn't see the two coming until they were disassembled on the ground.

"The signal is encrypted, Master Wayne," Alfred explained, "The location seems to jump every time I get close."

Bruce let out a frustrated sigh. Whoever was doing this was good and prepared. They knew the League would come. "Victor, have you found the President?"

Victor Stone, who had been tasked with finding the President and getting him to safety, turned another corner, his lips curling into a smile as he stared down the hall towards the bunker that laid under the Oval Office. He let his robotic eye scan the door, his smile widening when he was able to pick up the heat signatures behind the steel. "Yes," Victor replied. "Getting him now."

He quickly connected to the control panel outside of the door and began to decode the encryption. The door quickly opened and Victor stepped inside. "Mr. President," he began said with an outstretched hand. However, he stopped when he was bombarded with a barrage of gunfire coming from inside the bunker, as the President's secret service were unable to discern Victor from one of the many robots attacking the League. "I'm taking fire," was all Victor said, before he jumped out of the bunker and ran for cover.

"Probably shouldn't have let the robotic one go after the President, when robots are trying to attack," Barry said with a smirk as he stopped next to Bruce. He took one look at Bruce's scowl and knew he would be in for another lecture if he didn't stop making sarcastic comments. "Got it," he said, giving Bruce a thumbs up. "Going now."

Bruce turned and watched as Barry rushed off, leaving only a red streak behind him, before he let out another sigh. He refocused his attention to the area in front of him, his eyes widening when he noticed two robots uncomfortably close. He mentally cursed himself when he saw them raise their guns, as his hands fumbled to find something that would buy him extra time. The two robots fired their guns at Bruce, however when the only sound that was heard was the loud pings of their bullets hitting something strong and metal, Bruce knew he had gotten that extra time after all.

Bruce glanced up at Diana, who only raised an eyebrow as she stared into his eyes. She kept her shield raised, keeping the two of them safe from the hail of gunfire that was aimed at the two of them, as her free hand gently punched Bruce in the shoulder. "You're getting sloppy in your old age," she teased, flashing him a smirk.

She watched as he gave her a small smirk in response, before he pulled out his grappling gun. "And you're getting cocky," he retorted.

Diana only shrugged, before she thrusted her arm forward, crashing her shield into one of the unsuspecting robots, crushing its metal skull before it fell to the ground. "I learned from the best," was all she said as she reached for the sword that rested on her hip. "You're going to be late," she whispered, pulling her sword from its sheath, slashing at the robot that had jumped behind Bruce.

Bruce watched as the blade sliced the metal being in half, shrugged at her comment, and aimed his device at a beam across the room. "I'll be fine," was all he said, before he fired the gun, watching as it connected with the wood, before it flung him up towards the ceiling. He carefully disconnected the line, landing on his feet behind an unsuspecting robot, before he drove a piece of metal through its back. The robot quickly fell to the ground and Bruce retreated behind another beam for coverage.

"Barry?" Bruce asked, knowing the speedster should have retrieved the President by now.

"El Presidente is safe and sound," Barry responded, reappearing beside Bruce.

Bruce only gave a small nod and said, "Alfred, any luck on that encryption?"

"There's no need," Victor said, stopping the Englishman from speaking. "I found the control system, and it's unlike anything I've seen before."

"Victor, stop this army," Bruce commanded. He turned to Barry and nodded, knowing the younger man would be able to help Victor find a way to disable the robots before they overtook them all.

Without a word Barry ran off, searching every room in the White House until he found Victor staring at a giant control panel. "Woah," Barry said, his eyes widening as he realized the complexity of what was in front of him. Someone had thought of this for a while, someone smart. It would take a genius to bypass the encryptions on the control panel, and even then it would take hours, if not days.

"It's going to take some time," Victor said, plugging himself into the control panel. Instantly the control panel began to buzz and glow, and Victor began to shake. Whatever he had plugged himself into was trying to hack into his system.

Barry watched as Victor struggled with the control panel. He watched as Victor groaned in pain as electricity began to fly from the buttons and switches, before it coursed through his friend's circuitry. Without another word, fearing for the safety of his friend, Barry rushed up to the control panel and began to push every button, toggle every lever, flip every switch he could, hoping something would stop both the army if robots and the assault on Victor.

Meanwhile, back in the main foyer of the White House, Bruce, Clark, and Diana continued to fight the robots. "Any luck on stopping these things?" Clark asked, punching one of the robots through the chest. He quickly pulled the useless metal from his arm and tossed it aside, glancing over his shoulder at Bruce.

Bruce only shrugged. He didn't know what was taking Barry and Victor so long, but he hoped they would be able to stop it soon. He didn't know how much more he could take. The three of them were managing okay, but it would have been a lot easier if they had more bodies. Bruce made a mental note to pick up the search for more potential members when he got home. He also made a mental note to give Arthur a strongly worded message; even if Diana had to constantly remind him he was now a King and had other duties, he was still a member of the team.

Batman turned to deliver a punch to another robot, shock in his eyes when the robot punched him back. A piece of metal dragged along Bruce's cheek and cut his skin, leaving a small trail of blood. It was enough motivation for Bruce, as he grabbed the robot's arms, placed his foot on its chest, and pulled, dismembering the robot. "You're going to be late," Diana reminded, kicking a robot's head from its body, watching as it landed across the room, before she turned to face Bruce once more.

"It's fine, Diana," Bruce said once more, trying to reassure the woman that whatever he had planned for tonight took a backseat to this. But Diana knew how important keeping up appearances was to Bruce. It was the only way he was able to remain The Batman without anyone becoming suspicious.

Diana opened her mouth to speak, but when every remaining robot in the room began to shake, she knew Barry and Victor had done something right. She quickly rolled on top of Bruce, knowing the robots were going to explode and placed her shield on her back, covering the two of them from any debris that would come their way. Just as expected, the robots all began to self destruct, letting piece of metal fly about the room.

Bruce only laid on the floor listening to the ping each piece of metal made against Diana's shield, trying to avoid the playful smile she was giving him. He knew now wasn't the time to flirt, but she made it so hard. "I do like a woman on top," he whispered with a smirk, listening to another piece of metal fly their way, hitting the edge of the shield.

Diana only chuckled and playfully slapped his chin, telling him to cut it out. Clark, who had been standing next to the two, only turned his head and cleared his throat. The two looked up at Clark, watching as a shard of metal bounced off his forehead, before Diana let out another chuckle. The two had done the flirting and playful banter for so long, it was hardly a surprise anymore. Still, there was a time and place for it.

When the sounds of metal on Diana's shield ceased, she quickly rolled off of him and stood, before offering the man her hand. He took it quietly and she pulled him to his feet, just in time to see Barry run into the room holding Victor and the control panel. "Good work," Bruce said, glancing at the control panel. "How'd you stop it?"

Barry only shrugged. "I just pressed every button until something worked," Barry admitted, lifting his hands, confused.

Bruce tilted his head, unsure of Barry's method. Clark, however, was pleased. "Well it worked," he said, "Any idea who did this?"

Victor nodded. "He tried to hack my system," he confessed. "But he was too cocky and left a signature in the code. T.O. Morrow."

Bruce only nodded his head. "Once I get back to Gotham I will see what I can do about-"

"You will do no such thing," Diana interrupted. She glanced up at Bruce and crossed her arms over her chest. "Clark and I will deal with the clean up here. You have somewhere to be," she said, pointing a finger at his chest.

"Diana," Bruce began. He watched as Diana shook her head before she nodded to Barry.

"Sorry, Bats," Barry said, before he lifted him into his arms and sped off towards Gotham faster than any plane could.

Clark watched as Barry left with Bruce in his arm, chuckling before he turned toward the Amazon standing at his left. "What about the jet?" he asked, knowing Bruce had the only set of keys hidden in his utility belt.

Diana said nothing as she lifted the keys, a smile on her face as she thought of how handsy she had to get in order to get those. She quickly tossed the keys to Victor who gave her a smirk, before she began to clean up the mess the five of them had made.

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**December 24. Wayne Enterprises - Gotham. 19:35**

Diana continued to walk through the crowd of employees and other members of Gotham's elite, walking toward two familiar faces. She tilted her head as she approached, making sure the bun atop her head remained perfect, as a few of her bangs swept down in front of her face.

"Well you look spectacular," Lois said, grabbing the few strands of loose hair and pushing them behind the taller woman's ear, "For being late, that is."

Diana smirked at the red headed woman. She turned and glanced at the dress Lois wore, a beautiful blue cocktail dress, with matching silver heels. Clark truly was a lucky man.

"Blame your husband," Diana whispered, nudging the man next to her. "He had to make sure every piece of metal was picked up before we left."

Clark only shrugged as he took a sip from the champagne glass in his hand, watching as both ladies turned to face him, before they chuckled. He watched as Lois hugged Diana and he was grateful that Bruce had once again, saved him and his family. After the Daily Planet had reported he had been killed in the attack on Gotham, he knew it would be nearly impossible to explain his sudden resurrection. But Bruce had done it. Clark hated having to lie to everyone, saying he had been labeled as a John Doe due to his face being so badly injured during the fight that no one knew who he was. He hated having to tell people he couldn't remember who he was for a year. He hated telling people his mother had buried someone else in a case of mistaken identity - Martha Kent and Lois were the only two to have seen Clark before deciding the keep the casket closed for everyone else. But now that he was married to the woman he loved more than anything, and able to see his mother happy and thriving on the farm, he knew it had been all worth it.

"So where is Mr. Wayne?" Lois asked, her journalist's instinct kicking in.

Diana scanned the room, shrugging when she couldn't find Bruce. She did, however, see another familiar face at the other end of the room, stuffing his face with finger sandwiches and hor d'oeuvres. "Excuse me," she said, walking towards the young man dressed in a red tux.

She quietly walked up to Barry, grabbing a champagne flute from the table and taking a sip. "You clean up nice," she said, plucking a cracker from one of the platters and taking a bite.

Barry glanced up at Diana and smiled, before he stuffed another sandwich in his mouth.

He pointed towards the green tie he wore, swallowed his food, and said, "It's festive." Diana only let out a small chuckle as she nodded. "It is very uncomfortable though."

Diana ate another cracker before she gently placed a hand on Barry's shoulder. "Did he make it?" she asked, letting her eyes wander around the room once more in an attempt to find the person who arranged this whole event.

Barry nodded. "Barely," he explained. "Although he was not too fond of either you or me

the whole way to Gotham.

Diana chuckled once more. "Thank you," she said, watching as he only nodded once before picking up another sandwich. She turned from the table, her eyes lighting up when she saw Bruce come into view.

He was dressed in one of his signature three piece tuxedos. His hair was styled, and the stubble on his face was nicely trimmed. There was still evidence of the cut on his face, but the blood was now cleaned; Diana assumed Alfred had tended to that before he left.

Bruce walked up to the front of the crowd, waving to various employees, offering smiles to those who had decided to share their Christmas Eve with him. "Good evening everyone," Bruce began, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. They all turned to watch Bruce as he evened out the black tie around his neck. "I want to thank everyone for coming. I'm happy to announce that Wayne Enterprises will be funding S.T.A.R. labs' bio-mechanical engineering department." There was applause from around the room, and Bruce smirked. It was his way of telling everyone he was funding Silas Stone and helping with Victor's ever changing mechanics, without outright saying it.

When the applause died down, he looked around the room, a smile on his face when he caught sight of Clark and Lois. "When my parents died, the holidays were a hard time. But as I've grown older, you have all become like family." Bruce's gaze moved throughout the room, watching as smiles appeared on faces at what he had just confessed. He moved his eyes, searching for one person in particular. When he found her, his smile widened as he locked eyes with hers. "To family," he said, raising his glass of champagne. "And Merry Christmas."

Everyone reciprocated the toast, raising their own glasses, echoing his words, before they moved on to their own side conversations. Bruce, content with his small speech, moved from the front of the room and disappeared into the crowd.

Diana, knowing Bruce would be headed towards Clark and Lois, joined the duo, reaching them at the same time Bruce did. Bruce only acknowledged her with a small smile, knowing whatever he had to say to her could wait until he was done with Clark. After all, he had been planning this secret for almost a year.

"That was some speech," Lois said with a chuckle, teasing him for his lack of words. Bruce was known for his ability to make up anything on the spot. He was charismatic, and people were drawn to every word he said.

"There were more important things I needed to get to," was all Bruce said, before he extended his hand, waiting for Clark to reach out and shake it. He did, causing Bruce to smile once more.

"You are still coming to the farm tomorrow, right?" Clark asked. He stared at Bruce but the question was directed to both he and Diana.

Diana only nodded, taking another small sip from her flute.

Likewise, Bruce nodded, reached into his jacket, and pulled out an envelope. "Merry

Christmas," Bruce said as he handed the envelope to Clark. He watched as the reporter carefully opened the envelope, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses, ever suspicious of the billionaire. "Sorry it took so long."

Clark looked up from the papers in his hands, trying his hardest not to cry. The farm had been in his family for generations and when his mother had lost it after his death, he couldn't imagine the pain that it caused. He was more than grateful when Bruce had bought the bank, letting Martha come back to the land she had fallen in love with, but this-this was beyond generous. "Bruce," Clark began, only to be silenced by the older man.

"The deed is in both your mother's name and yours. You should never have to worry about losing the farm again," Bruce explained. He placed his hand on Clark's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you, Bruce," Clark said quietly. "Truly."

Bruce only nodded before he turned to Diana. "Miss Prince," he said, offering the woman a hand. "Care to dance?"

Diana said nothing as she placed her hand in Bruce's and nodded. She waved to Clark and Lois, silently telling them she would see them tomorrow, before she followed Bruce out onto the dance floor. There Bruce turned to face her, stepping closer as his right hand fell to her lower back, pushing her against his chest. "Bruce," she warned, staring into his eye as she placed her right hand into his remaining hand.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, pulling her closer.

"Careful, Mr. Wayne," she whispered back, "I am spoken for."

Bruce craned his neck and raised an eyebrow. "Since when?" he asked, glancing over her shoulder at Clark and Lois who had begun to dance at the end of the room.

Diana ignored his question, lifting her left hand to gently caress the skin of his cheek just below the cut he had received earlier this evening. "You need to be more careful," she whispered, "You're not invincible."

"And you need to stop being so damn flirty when we're on a mission," he retorted. "Especially when you have a boyfriend."

"I never said it was a boyfriend," Diana said with a smirk.

Bruce raised an eyebrow once more. "Girlfriend?"

Diana let out a small chuckle. She enjoyed doing this to Bruce, but would deny it if asked. "What you did for Clark," she began as they started swaying to the music, "That was very kind of you, Bruce."

"He deserves it," he admitted. "Plus, I was a bit of an ass when we first met."

Diana chuckled once more. "Always the charmer, Bruce Wayne."

The two continued to dance, swaying gently to the music, enjoying small talk in between whispered flirtations. They discussed Arthur and his acclimation to the throne of Atlantis. They discussed Clark and Lois' wedding last September . They discussed who to seek out to join the team in case another threat emerged. They discussed Victor and his acceptance of what he was, and Barry's new job with the Central City Police Department. Neither had known just how much time had passed until Lois was nudging Bruce's shoulder, letting him know it was time to make the announcement of the century.

Carefully Bruce led the two of them to the end of the room where he could talk to Diana. He wanted to give her an out. He wanted her to know that whatever she decided tonight, he would support her. After all, she had tried to hide herself for nearly a century, never wanting the world's attention on herself. It was only after Steppenwolf had come to Earth had she let the world know who Wonder Woman was. He didn't know if she was ready for the string of attention this would cause her.

"I'm fine, Bruce," Diana whispered. She knew what he had been thinking. He had confided in her countless nights of this decision, and the more he talked about it, the more she agreed with him. It was time the world knew who the real Bruce Wayne was.

Without a word, Bruce nodded up towards the door frame they stood in. Diana followed his gaze, letting her eyes settle on the piece of mistletoe that Barry had attached to the door frame seconds prior. "You sneaky man," she whispered. She watched as he only shrugged before she shook her head playfully and leaned in for a kiss.

There were a few gasps from the surrounding guests, as they watched Bruce wrap his arms around the younger woman and deepen the kiss. A few of the reporters rushed to grab their phones, wanting photographic evidence that Bruce Wayne had a new fling, however none were as quick as Clark, who snatched the first and only photo of Bruce and Diana kissing.

Bruce pulled away from Diana and flashed her a smirk, before he grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. Disappointed they had missed their photo opportunity, reporters quickly swarmed up to the duo, pens ready to jot down any details that would get them a story worthy of the front page. "Mr. Wayne," one reporter called out, "Who's your new lady friend?"

"Is Bruce Wayne dating again?"

"How long has this been going on?"

Bruce ignored everyone's questions, raising his empty hand to silence everyone. "I wanted this night to be about family, and I'd like you to meet mine," he said. He gave a small nod to Clark, letting him know their deal was still intact. Lois would get the first and only news story regarding he and Diana's relationship, as she was the only one they trusted. "This is Diana," he began, pulling Diana close to him. He wrapped his arm around the woman, smiling when he realized he didn't have to hide the truth anymore. Bruce Wayne was a taken man, and had been for a while.

"This is my wife."

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**A little different, but hey, they technically did end up. I tried to add some team interaction for you, and some playful flirtations for you as well. I hope you enjoyed it, Jen. This event wouldn't have been possible without your amazing self.**


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